Aerobic exercises have long been used to loosen body muscles for increasing the flexibility of the muscles as well as for conditioning and toning of the muscles. Included in the facets of aerobic exercise is the use of a rigid, elongated rod which is held in the hands and then the hands and/or the body appropriately moved through various gyrations to loosen and increase the flexibility of the body muscles particularly those in the upper body region as in the back, neck and shoulder areas. For example, the flexing of the deltoid muscles, the latissimus dorsi, and the spinal rotators, can be achieved by holding the rigid rod behind the body at waist level with the hands appropriately spaced apart and the body sequentially twisted in both directions. The deltoid muscles and neck muscles, including the trapezius, are stretched when the rod is held with straight arms in front of the body and then slowly lifted overhead as far as possible. Also, by holding the rod vertically behind the back with one hand above the other and then moving the upper hand sideways will stretch the front shoulder muscles and increase body rotation. The shoulders, upper arms, and chest muscles can be stretched and conditioned by holding the rod overhead with straight arms and then bending the shoulders alternately to the right and to the left without moving the body at the waist. The holding of the rod behind the neck at shoulder height with the hands spaced apart and then twisting the body while doing side bends can be used to loosen muscles in the chest and trunk. Also, holding the rod behind the body at waist height with the rod held inside bent elbows and then twisting the body to the right and left increases flexibility of the spine.
The latissimus dorsi, the obliques, and the inner thigh muscles can be stretched and loosened using a rigid rod by extending one leg to the side and resting it on a elevated platform at chair height and then grasping the rod with extended arms above the head and bending sideways towards the extended leg. This bending exercises the spinal column as well as flexing the inner thigh muscles in the leg maintained on the floor.
By utilizing a rigid rod in aerobic exercises, such as described above, sufficient loosening and flexing of the various body muscles is achieved to significantly minimize injury to the muscles such as caused by strains and tears particularly during participation in sporting events and other muscle-straining exercises.
In addition to using the elongated rigid rod for conditioning and loosening the muscles, significant muscle conditioning and toning especially in the area of the deltoids, triceps and biceps, has been achieved by using various stretchable devices such as a device having longitudinally spaced-apart handles interconnected by an elastic strap or one or more tension springs. Appropriately positioning the arms and the stretchable device and then moving the hands away from one another against the resistance provided by the elastic strap or springs increases muscle tone as well as causing muscle buildup.